Well it's official, I've said so long to Sydney, even though I will have one more night there upon returning from Asia to wander the streets and eat the world! I'm currently in Manila, Phillipines, hangin' out for five days, relaxing from the chaos of the previous week with exams and my big move. I basically wanted to give a recap of Sydney for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of knowing it. It's no secret that I love Sydney!! Maybe I'm more partial to it because it was my host city, but there is no doubt that it kicks some major bum.
This past month has been incredible, reminding me so much of the first month I spent in Oz. I went in and came out with a bang! From viewings of "Glasshouse" and "Australian Idol" (go Guy!!!!) to cricket (Oz vs. Zimbabwe) and world cup rugby (Georgia vs. Uruguay); from Max Brenner's (The Chocolate Bar = heaven, full stop!) and Sydney's Oportos to Italian at the forum in Leichart and "Burgerlicious" (yes, that's the name, can u believe it?!!) down the street; from the Bridge Climb to Cronulla and Coogee (beaches); and from Sydney Uni's gorgeous quadrangle to clubbin' every weekend in none other than "the city of fun", it's been an amazing end to an even more amazing experience.
The one major event I've left out in the past month has been Melbourne Cup. Melbourne Cup is out of some movie for real: you get dressed up real snazzy, buy a beautiful hat, and go mingle with the finest at the biggest horse race in Australia. To put it pure and simple: it was fun!! The horse I bet on, Macaby Diva, won!- so that was pretty exciting as well. Observing the dress and style of the women at this event, could alone be an amusing pastime. Melbourne Cup is an entity in and of itself, truly a race that stops a nation.
Well, there's my month in a nutshell! I had a quote by Bill Bryon that I wanted to write at the end of this email, but I don't have the book with me, seeing as how this is being written rather later than expected. Hence, it will have to be added in at a later time. However, I will say this much: Oz is not about experiencing a culture shock, because it definitely isn't that; it's about living a different type of life; it's about stopping to see where you're going and why you're going there rather than wondering how the time just beat you to the finish line. The country is full of a different type of people with a different sort of aura about them. It is also full of activities, events, and landscapes that could be experienced no where else in the world. Seriously: how many places can you drive for hundreds and hundreds of miles surrounded by absolutely nothing (not even an elevation in land)?! The feelings surfaced by such a unique circumstance, are unique themselves.
So I say this: if you're looking for a culture shock, I don't recommend you come to Australia. On the other hand, if you're looking for a new type of travel experience- to trek over unexplored terrain, to engage in activities you'd never imagine to partake in, to see the possibility of an altered lifestyle for yourself, to ultimately be open enough to discover the more subtle/hidden "culture shock" of Australia- then by all means, take a gander down under and see for yourself.
"Sometimes, it is necessary to leave in order to realize that it is worth coming back."
-Nutan Patel
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